The sceneries from
Madrid to Andalucia are largely comprised of olive plants, orange orchards,
farmlands and occasionally the small ranches raising the black bulls. The
“genuine” Spanish feel was overwhelming soon.
Cordoba was founded in
152BC, fell to Islamic invaders in 711AD and became Islamic capital on the
Iberian Peninsula. The caliphate descended to anarchy after the death of
Al-Mansour and terrorised by Berber end of 10th century.
Many tourists opted to
stay inside the old town for its unique charm. The zigzagging narrow streets
lined with whitewashed buildings, you might overlook the plainly decorated
shops, restaurants or museums if rushing hurriedly. Be slow and easy to breath
in the medieval air.
Mezquita, the iconic
landmark is a marvellous architectural hybrid of a 16th century
church built within the 785AD constructed mosque. Through the 14th
century Puerta del Perdon, the fragrance of orange enveloped the Patio de la
Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees). Into the hall, one would acclaim by
the forest of pillars and 2 tiered arches painted in alternating red and white,
this was the original mosque structure. The center of the building was torn out
in 16th century to allow construction of cathedral. Solo visitor is
allowed to enter the premise from 08:30-10:00am for free. The serene
environment was perfect, while avoiding tourists posting voluntarily on my
pictures.
Alcazar de los Reyes
Cristianos, not special to me, the garden is no doubt very well groomed, among
the most beautiful in Andalucia.
The tourist
information counter recommended Medinat al-Zahar, situated 8km west of Cordoba.
Construction started in 936AD by self proclaimed caliph Abd ar-Rahman III. This
new capital was short lived, it was wrecked by Berber troops in 1013AD. The
remains are only a big pile of ruins, one tenth has been excavated so far.
Frankly I was bored because I was not willing to pay for a guided service, and
the site was not spectacular for photographing.
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| Mezquita - Torre del Aminar. |
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| Mezquita - one of the entrances. |
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| Mezquita - Patio de los Naranjos, the fragrance of oranges filled the space. |
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| Mezquita, shadows. |
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| Flowers. |
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| Mezquita, the Islamic design and architectures are well preserved. |
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| Horse carts were waiting for tourists. |
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| Puente Romano, crosses Guadalquivir. |
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| Puente Romano - an angel statue. |
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| Torre de la Calahorra. |
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| Puerta del Puente, I like the building behind with arches. |
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| Street view. |
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| Souvenirs. |
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| Shops tucked inside the alleys of whitewashed buildings. |
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| Place to watch Falmenco, it doesn't come cheap. |
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| Curtains. |
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| Albergue Inturjoven de la Creatividad, it was still under renovation. Breakfast was good. |
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| Strange menu of a restaurant, see last item. |
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| Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. |
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| View of Cordoba. |
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| Palm trees in front of Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. |
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| Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, fountain. The garden was very well kept. |
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| Trees were trimmed. |
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| Various language board. |
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| Door above a door. |
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| Elegant window grill. |
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| Door besides a door. |
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| Museo Arqueologico de Cordoba. |
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| Church illuminated in dusk. |
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| Mezquita illuminated at night. |
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| Puente Romano at night. |
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| Mezquita, details on the arches. |
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| Mezquita, precious records. |
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| Mezquita, 2-tier arches filled the entire room. |
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| Mezquita, church inside a mosque. |
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| Mezquita, church inside a mosque. |
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| Mezquita, 2-tier arches. |
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| Mezquita, rows of arches. |
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| Mezquita, typical Islamic design on the window. |
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| Madinat al-Zahra, huge pile of ruins. Should come here only if one is interested with history and archeology. |
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| Madinat al-Zahra, huge pile of ruins. |
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| Madinat al-Zahra, huge pile of ruins. |
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| Madinat al-Zahra, huge pile of ruins. |
